If we were going to teach “Skateboard History 101,” we’d just pop the 2005 film Lords of Dogtown into the VCR and call it a day. (And yes, that’s why we’d make horrible teachers).

But it’s only because the fictionalized take on the “Z Boys” – a group of California kids living in the Dogtown area of Santa Monica in the early 1970s – brings to life the emergence of skate culture better than we ever could.

The film stars Emile Hirsch as skateboarding legend Jay Adams, and centers around the original Z-Boys, or members of the Zephyr Competition team. Adams and his team started out as thrill-seeking surfers and wound up revolutionizing skateboarding.

During the mid-1970s, there was a drought in Southern California that resulted in severe water restrictions, including the draining of homeowners’ backyard pools. The Z-Boys quickly discovered that empty pools made for great skateboarding, and would drive around scouting for drained pools to skate in. This was the birth of vertical skating, and the basis for aerial skateboarding today.

– You don’t need to be a pro surfer or skateboarding legend to chill out your summer style. Skate culture is one of acceptance and community. You can easily incorporate the effortless style of the Z-boys even if you can’t ollie. Just don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk (or skate) the walk.

– Chicks dig guys who can skateboard. It’s just a fact. Whether you’re 15 or 50, it’s a cool look. There’s something very attractive about a guy who’s not afraid to wipe out from time to time. That’s true whether you’re on a board, or simply trying something new with your outfit.